ARRA/Economic Stimulus Plan for Education

Many technology coordinators across the country are currently involved in writing EETT Grants right now. Part of what your application will be judged on is your evaluation plan. How will you gather evidence regarding the effectiveness of technology on student achievement?

What will happen with the Title I set-asides? The answer will have big implications on how quickly $2 billion in stimulus money is spent. State and officials are waiting for guidance from the Department of Education, which is expected soon.

An unprecedented $100 billion in federal stimulus money is starting to flow to school districts. Educators welcome the aid, but with most districts just starting to get estimates of how much they'll receive, it's adding complexity to an already confusing budget cycle. Particularly challenging - and emotional - are decisions about how many teachers' jobs to fund for next year. Deadlines have been coming up for renewing contracts, yet many state and local education budgets are in flux. That's putting tens of thousands of teachers into layoff limbo.

Notes from the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles panel called: The Stimulus Bill and Education: How Can the Money be Spent Wisely?

Suggestions for use of special education ARRA funds are:\n\n1. Teacher salaries and salaries for other trained educators. Possible use could also be trained para professionals that will help a child benefit from an inclusive placement.\n\n2. Scientifically research based curriculums in the areas of reading and math, which are required by No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Many school districts are continuing to use outdated curriculums that are not proven to help children learn reading and math. Once a school district purchases the curriculum and trains their teachers the benefits will continue for years to come.\n\n3. Obtain state of the art assistive technology devices and also provide training in their use to enhance access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities.\n\n4. Provide intensive district wide professional training for regular and special education teachers, that focuses on research based curriculums and strategies in the areas of reading, math, writing, and science.\n\n5. Provide intensive district wide professional development in the area of positive behavioral supports and plans to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. Many children with disabilities are continuing to be suspended and expelled for behavior that is part of their disability; though this is not allowed under IDEA. School wide use of positive behavioral supports and plans will benefit all children not just those with disabilities.\n\n6. Hire transition coordinators to work with employers in the community to develop job placements and training for youths with disabilities. This will ensure that children graduating will have a job and a future!\n\n

PowerPoint presentation that gives examples of maintenance of effort (MOE) from a fictitious school district.

Montana Dept of Public Instruction's plan for management of IDEA Funds secured under ARRA. Includes discussion of maintenance of effort.

This PowerPoint was presented as a webinar session by EdWeek on April 30th. It brings together the latest information and analysis of economic stimulus funding and covers funding considerations for school districts, including economic impact of school infrastructure projects, school modernization needs that can be covered under these funds and other issues.

Texas Impact brings you footage of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan highlighting the ambitious goals of the ARRA education funds. Video comes from the ARRA Implementation Briefing on Friday, April 3, 2009.

The Department of Education's $5 billion in "Race to the Top" and innovation funds provides a historic opportunity to reward states, school districts, and entrepreneurs doing good work for kids. Much of the funding, $4.35 billion, will go to states that can document successful implementation of NCLB's provisions-achieving equitable distribution of quality teachers, improving collection and use of data, implementing quality standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools. The rest, $650 million, is reserved for school districts and nonprofits implementing proven reform strategies.

The first of $44 billion in economic-stimulus aid for education began flowing out to states last week-along with new teacher-quality reporting requirements for states and districts, and significantly more spending flexibility on school construction than many administrators had expected.

This new document from the US Dept of Education outlines capital spending and teacher-quality reporting expectations, with more capital-spending flexibility of ARRA funds than initially expected. Lots of great Q & A's in here that help clarify program uses.

Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to 15 or more states in the coming months to solicit feedback from a broad group of stakeholders around federal education policy in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The tour will gather input on the Obama administration's education agenda, including early childhood, higher standards, teacher quality, workforce development, and higher education.

Twenty three questions and answers on how ARRA impacts Special Education and Early Intervention. \n

Schools are starting to get their first checks from the initial round of federal stimulus funding. What tripwires have they faced so far in securing and sustainably spending the money as the U.S. Department of Education suggests? How have school districts responded to the surge of funding for Title I, professional development, and IDEA? As educators prepare for the next wave of funding, what lessons can they draw from the past three months?

Pearson Education analyzes the economic stimulus funding pots available for early childhood education.

On Friday, February 27, 2009, Dr. Joseph Conaty, Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, delivered an informative web conference reviewing elements of the new federal stimulus package. Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation and Teachscape, Dr. Conaty was interviewed by Tony Bryk and Mark Atkinson, presidents of their respective organizations. The bulk of the presentation was questions from attendees, presented by the two co-hosts and is archived here.

The following five reforms can help states and school districts to implement innovative initiatives as they allocate their stimulus dollars across schools: